Lafayette's loss is YSU's gain

The Penguins' new defensive line coach is excited about the team's potential.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- Youngstown State officially opened spring football practice Monday with a lot of new faces, including one that will remain on the sidelines all season.
Antoine Smith is the Penguins' new defensive line coach and the Syracuse, N.Y. native comes to the Penguins after spending the last two seasons at Lafayette.
"I was always a great admirer of Jim Tressel and followed his career at YSU and Ohio State," Smith said. "I want to get to a national championship and I feel that I'm now at a school that will give me that chance to get there."
Smith had a tremendous impact on the Leopards, who made the Division I-AA playoffs and shared two Patriot League titles.
In fact, it was Lafayette that captured the 16th and final playoff spot a year ago while the Penguins were being rejected.
"There is nobody at Lafayette who feels we did not deserve to be in the playoffs," Smith said. "We had an excellent football team with a lot of great players and we were the only team to defeat Lehigh in league play."
Options
Smith said that this has been an exceptional offseason for him as the phone hasn't stopped ringing.
"I interviewed for a position at Northern Illinois, but didn't get it and I had calls from Maine and New Hampshire," he said.
When YSU coach Jon Heacock called, Smith knew he had the job he really wanted.
Smith said one of his mentors was former Syracuse coach Dick MacPherson.
"He always told me that if you want to coach in I-AA then the two schools you want to go to [are] Montana or Youngstown State," Smith said. "When I called him and told him about the offer from YSU, he told me that was the job I wanted."
Smith said he's recruited the Youngstown, Akron and Cleveland area the past two years.
"The first time I drove past Stambaugh Stadium all I could say was 'Wow,' " said Smith. "I've spent just over a week with the players and coaches here and I've been impressed with both and I only hope that I can help to get this program going again toward its goals."
Smith was a four-year letterwinner at Maine and coached there in 2003 before going to Lafayette.
"Everywhere I've been we've had great success with the defensive line and led our conference every year defensively," said Smith.
"There is a lot of potential here and we're all excited to get going and make it even better," he concluded.
Other news
The Penguins also released some updated information about late signee Ferlando Williams from Georgia Military College, a junior who will join the team this fall.
Williams, a 6-foot, 185-pound quarterback, directed Georgia Military to the No. 2 ranking in the final NJCAA poll, just behind Glendale (Ariz.) Community College. They finished with a 9-2 record, winning their final eight games.
Georgia Military defeated Coffeyville 21-17 in the Golden Isles Bowl Classic and Williams threw two fourth quarter touchdown passes.
He graduated from Northside High School in Warner Robins, Ga., where he was 69-of-128 passing and had 12 touchdown passes as a senior. He also ran for 784 yards and 10 touchdowns, returned 15 punts and four kickoffs and was voted the area's most outstanding quarterback.
He played both offense and defense his first two years in high school and also played soccer. He also played in the Georgia North-South all-star game and engineered the game's only offensive touchdown on a 56-yard pass as the South won 10-7.
Williams originally signed to play at the University of Chattanooga out of high school.
He will have two years eligibility remaining.
The Penguins will practice Wednesday at 2:30 p.m., once again in helmets and shorts. They will put on full pads Friday at 3:30 p.m. and hold their first contact drills Saturday at 9 a.m.
mollica@vindy.com